The Rules We Break.

[giverdada]

It occurred to me, after reading Bill Strickland's bit on riding with and without a helmet, that my hard and fast rules about many things are flexible. I insist on always, always wearing a helmet, and I have all kinds of reasons as to why, but after reading his piece, particularly the bit about portraying cycling as a not inherently risky activity, I see things a little differently.


SO: What rules/laws are you okay with breaking while on a bike? What metric do you use to inform your action?

I roll stop signs if no one else is there (Idaho stop style but it's illegal in Toronto). I try my best to break speed limits on roadways, and often break them on MUPs if the way is clear/empty.
I usually have a bell on the bike I'm on, but not always, and I rarely use it as my voice is much more effective (I scream like a baby and people freak).
I ride past cars stuck in roadway traffic in any space available, usually on the right side near the curb, but sometimes between lanes as it's safer than the door risk near the curb.
And I only HTFU about half the time...:D

[AngryScientist]

i dont believe in any hard and fast rules or absolutes of any kind. there is always an exception to the rule. never say never; you cant do anything 100% every single time.

there are also two kinds of people in the world, who hear a rule:

1) How can i comply with this rule
2) how can i get away with breaking this rule.

i'm squarely in camp #2

[Dead Man]

My 2 rules for the road:

Be safe
Be courteous

That's it, on the bike. And I sometimes break those, too.

[earlfoss]

Sometimes I wear black socks.

[okie1kenobi]

Breakin' the law :D sorry

[giverdada]

I guess it could be taken that way, but I don't think rule or law following is an inherently mundane or bad thing. My lady jokingly calls me a rule follower as a denigrating term of endearment. As it rests, I see rules and I try to follow ones that make good sense, informed by principle and experience and an understanding of context. AngryS: you probably don't look at the rule of 'Be safe on roadways' as an opportunity to break a rule. I understand a tendency to not want to be told what to do. I also understand how one asshat move makes us all look like jerks. Context.

[carpediemracing]

I like drafting big boxy vehicles. I will also sometimes break speed limits.

I always stop at red lights and stop signs, even the one in a condo complex or something.

[Dead Man]

I sprinted through a yellow-turning-red the other day.. some assjack waiting to turn right at the light honked at me.

Do you think he honks at every car that doesn't quite make the yellow? I bet he literally never has.

[unterhausen]

I sprinted through a yellow-turning-red the other day.. some assjack waiting to turn right at the light honked at me.must be the same guy that honked at me because he wanted to turn right on red at speed. I still had the green.

I almost never run red lights unless they aren't going to change for me and there is no traffic. In fact, my rule is "no witnesses, no stop." Which means if there are witnesses, I stop. Around here, that's a horrible aggression, because the cars behind don't plan on stopping.

[BobO]

I will also sometimes break speed limits.

Speed limits are a public challenge to my manhood. :D

[flydhest]

My rule, 95 percent compliant, don't ride in a way that requires others to do something they wouldn't otherwise to protect my safety. Put more succinctly, do not rely on the kindness of strangers.

[berserk87]

Breakin' the law :D sorry

Post of the day, dude. Thanks for the laugh.

[jmoore]

The only 2 rules I won't break are:

1. No flip flops. Ever.
2. No shorty socks

[Seramount]

Speed limits are a public challenge to my manhood. :D

I view them as suggestions...

[deechee]

I don't have reflectors on any of my bikes.


232 (http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/C_24_2/C24_2_A.html). Every bicycle must carry at least

(1) one white reflector at the front;

(2) one red reflector at the rear;

(3) one amber reflector on each pedal;

(4) one reflector attached to the spokes of the front wheel;

(5) one reflector attached to the spokes of the back wheel.

Any equipment or object placed on a bicycle that blocks a prescribed reflector must be provided with a reflector that complies with the first paragraph.

1986, c. 91, s. 232; 2010, c. 34, s. 45.

[carpediemracing]

I should point out that I don't selectively choose when I break a rule. I don't not break it just when I won't get caught. I follow most rules but there are rules that I don't follow. The drafting and speed limit things are the two things I could think of immediately.

Although I only started wearing a helmet cam in 2010 I wear it every time I ride. All my infractions are recorded for posterity's sake, even if there's no one around to witness it first hand. I have no problem handing over the memory card to a police officer (and I have, although it was a race clip, not a training clip).

I don't want to break rules like red light stops, stop sign stops, etc. I go along with a ride if they do it, hence I don't do group rides much at all (and I almost got run over when I was at the front of a group and stopped at a stop sign - they yelled at me for almost causing a crash). I signal my turns. I try to merge with traffic so I disrupt others as little as possible. I'll selectively move up the shoulder - for example on a major, major road, 2 lanes each way, the right lane is a combination straight/right turn, to an artery road that leads back into my town. Long lights. Eventually someone not turning right will end up stopped at the head of the right lane. I'll roll up, stop, look, and go. This way I'm not 100 meters from the light when it turns green on a road where everyone goes 45-50 mph. On other roads, like a busy stop sign at the top of a hill, I move up with the cars, I don't pass them.

I'll sit and wait at the no turn on red (on that artery road leading to my town) while the crosswalk blinks for a non-existent pedestrian/MUP user (often they'll push the button, wait a bit, then run the Do Not Walk signal, then later they get the Walk signal). I know that everyone waiting at the light will be looking at me to be the jerk cyclist that doesn't wait. If I wait then maybe they'll say, okay, well, they're not all idiots.

So when I say I like drafting big boxy vehicles and I sometimes break the speed limit, I mean it, even if it might be that I'm drafting a police car going 40 in a posted 30 or 35. Which I've done, but then at that moment everyone was going about 40 including me, and by drafting the police car I didn't impede a single car (until I blew up). I've also gotten pulled over on the same road for going about 45-50 behind a dump truck. That time it was just the dump truck and me, very late at night. The officer pulled me over to give me a warning.

[giverdada]

i love posts from carpe diem. thanks man.

this thread went awry and then nowhere, but i appreciate the thoughts that did come in. i've managed to ride to work twice since my hit and run on my commute home, and managed to break very few rules. i may be a rule-follower and dead-fish-following-the-stream kinda person a lot of the time on my bike, a bit of an ice man, but i do it because a lot of the time on a bike, i'm a lone, and i feel like i function as an exemplar. i'm wearing a local club kit with none of those riders around. i'm on roads where people think i should ride the sidewalk because there's no bike lane. and i'm just trying to get to work or get home.

i've been involved of lots of bad things on bikes, many of which involved the police. this is likely because i never race, and if i do, it's some weird thing like duathlon, so crashes have very little to do with traffic traffic and everything to do with handling a tri bike over crap roads or jumping on/off it in a transition zone with that funny helmet on and no shoes... (:no:) i've hit a jaywalker on my ride to work. i've been in two significant hit and runs on my commutes. the police came to all of those collisions, the hit and runs more reluctantly, and none of these police involvements yielded positive results. my interactions with police in this city have, however, been generally quite positive. i understand that i operate from a seat of privilege, and i don't know how uncynical i can be about police and their help with my bike-riding escapades, but they've been fine with me if not actually constructive.

in my last hit and run, last month, i destroyed my giro air attack and separated my right shoulder at the A/C joint. i can't afford to replace the helmet right now, but my shoulder is healing quickly. i always wear a helmet. i hit the car at about 35 km/h, but probably less than that as i jammed on my brakes trying to avoid it at the second it pulled out in front of me. my hoods got knocked pigeon-toed; there's white paint on the left lever. $120 at the shop got me an inspection and tune-up, and my Strong is intact. the cleat i ripped out of my 7-year-old shoe was replaced by an old one i dug out of my tool box. getting hit by cars is expensive, and i don't even ride uber nice gear of the latest year. the cops never found any video or searched any body shops or driveways for a suspect vehicle. the bills are on me.

with all of this rule-following, most of it for safety and much of it for being a PR example for cyclists in public, i often wonder why bother. i follow(ed) other rules/guidelines too, and sometimes fail to see the point/results. and then there are all those people out there breaking all kinds of rules/codes (like the human one where you stop after harming another human and at least ask them if they're okay), and they seem to be just fine, getting ahead, suffering no consequences. i'll wear a helmet for safety. i'll wave at cars to make us 'weirdo bikers' more publicly palatable. and i'll hope that the karma comes through.

[Gummee]

I try to do the same things on the pushie that I would on the moto or in the car. IOW if there's a stop sign in the middle of nowhere, I'll roll it.

The one big exception is the stoplight leading out of 'town.' I know it won't trip for a bicycle. Unless I see someone coming up behind me, I'll run that after the required 2min or 2 cycles.

M

[giverdada]

I don't have reflectors on any of my bikes.


232 (http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/C_24_2/C24_2_A.html). Every bicycle must carry at least

(1) one white reflector at the front;

(2) one red reflector at the rear;

(3) one amber reflector on each pedal;

(4) one reflector attached to the spokes of the front wheel;

(5) one reflector attached to the spokes of the back wheel.

Any equipment or object placed on a bicycle that blocks a prescribed reflector must be provided with a reflector that complies with the first paragraph.

1986, c. 91, s. 232; 2010, c. 34, s. 45.

Yep. I have some reflectors (mostly tape) on some of my bikes, but generally try to ride around lit up like a g-darn Christmas tree, even in broad daylight. I found the bell thing super annoying, but then started sticking it in an inconspicuous/useless spot (rear of seatpost, just under the saddle), so if I'm stopped and asked for one, it's there, but I use my voice the rest of the time. After getting hit, I started looking up all kinds of 'laws' about cycling and cars. Though many are super old, some of the newer ones caught my eye, like if anyone's going over 50km/h next to you, they have to give you more than 4 or 5 feet of room... Sweet.

[rohan]

i've managed to ride to work twice since my hit and run on my commute home, and managed to break very few rules.

I'm sorry to hear of your recent hit and run. This is not something that should happen to anyone, let alone twice. I appreciate your reflection on riding safely, and I'll be thinking about it on my commute this afternoon.

[Jgrooms]

I sprinted through a yellow-turning-red the other day.. some assjack waiting to turn right at the light honked at me.



Do you think he honks at every car that doesn't quite make the yellow? I bet he literally never has.



This is a new phenom & to me shows the level of dislike for cyclists. I've had people follow & continue to berate me for rolling a yellow going red. And like you, seriously "who made you traffic enforcement & do you tail every car driver?" Busy person if they do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[d_douglas]

I sprinted through a yellow-turning-red the other day.. some assjack waiting to turn right at the light honked at me.

Do you think he honks at every car that doesn't quite make the yellow? I bet he literally never has.

Yes, I have developed a habit of sprinting for yellow lights on my commute to work. Pretty dumb and it is contextual (I know when to back off), but I hate waiting for red lights.

Funny thing about helmets - I 'ALWAYS' wear a helmet. Last night, I spun about 5 blocks to my LBS riding my friend's commuter bike (that needed a tiny part). I decided to do without a helmet. I felt naked, but honestly, I see the appeal - it felt great! Anyways, I have no plans on abandoning my helmet.

ASIDE: on my morning commute, I saw a woman riding to work with her helmet strapped over her handlebar. C'mon, if you are going to the trouble of carrying it, you might as well put it on your head! That is a pet peeve of mine.

[GoatLeg]

I sprinted through a yellow-turning-red the other day.. some assjack waiting to turn right at the light honked at me.

Do you think he honks at every car that doesn't quite make the yellow? I bet he literally never has.

I won't say I never do that, but be careful: https://youtu.be/eacBcZKSh7Q

[carpediemracing]

Regarding tripping lights.

You can put a rare earth magnet somewhere down low on the bike, like BB, and it should trip the light.

If not you need to disrupt the magnetic field set by the metal square in the pavement. What you want to do is put magnetic stuff near the metal grid, not inside the square. Usually with a car the square is in the middle of the lane so you get everything - rims (close to the ground), car body, engine block, etc. Obviously you need to get close to the grid, even in a car, to trip the light.

When I come up to a light solo on my bike I'll put a foot down (normally I trackstand), let go of the right side of the bike, and air kiss the rear derailleur area to the grid.

What I'm doing is exposing the (usually) steel cassette, steel chain, and whatever bolts I have in the rear derailleur to the metal grid in the ground.

I've never had a light not change for me when I've done this.

I hold the bike down until I see the other light turning yellow. This way I know I've tripped it.

On a side note I did this once at a light in SoCal somewhere, just before the Tour of CA started. The light tripped for me just as Paolo Bettini rolled up on the other side (so he got a green also). He looked at me, nodded a polite greeting, and went his way.

[Dead Man]

RWhat I'm doing is exposing the (usually) steel cassette, steel chain, and whatever bolts I have in the rear derailleur to the metal grid in the ground.

I've never had a light not change for me when I've done this.

I hold the bike down until I see the other light turning yellow. This way I know I've tripped it.

I do this too, but I still can only get the light to trip about half the time, round hur in cyclist-free Columbia Co. Oregon law requires sensors be sensitive enough to pick up bikes, but Oregon law requires a lot of stuff with regard to bikes that never happen (like that bike lanes be approved with the state bike commission and actually be maintained like car lanes, etc).. I've especially noticed that the "old" diamond shaped sensors in some of the older areas basically never trip for me. It's possible they predate the referenced requirement, and won't get changed till the road is otherwise improved again.

Whatever the case.... I generally have a very low GO threshold. I'll slow down for a light. But I'm not sitting there like an idiot hoping someday it'll turn for me.

IIRC, Oregon recently passed a new law/rule that permits cyclists to proceed through a red if the lights do a full cycle without giving you a green. Pretty useless law, since if it doesn't pick you up, it won't ever cycle, unless a car comes up - and if a car come up and trips your direction, you obviously benefit from the same green. I guess it might still be of some use when you're in a turn lane waiting for an independent turn light.

[redir]

I'll admit that I've drank too much and rode my bike home on more then a few occasions. I don't do that anymore but I did. I follow the stop sign safety roll through rule too. You can't hear a tree fall in the forest if you are not there right?

[tuscanyswe]

My 2 rules for the road:

Be safe
Be courteous

That's it, on the bike. And I sometimes break those, too.

This is a very good summary actually. I feel the same and also unfortunately brakes those 2 sometimes as well. I however think that my definition of safe may not be shared by everyone else at all times.